1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to display devices which have longitudinal slots for attractively displaying or organizing a plurality of greeting cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like.
2. Background of the Related Art
On holidays, birthdays or other special occasions, greeting cards are often lined up or strewn about a table. Often the greeting cards cannot be seen and are easily knocked down by a breeze or the slightest contact. A few industrious people may hang the greeting cards on a string attached to their ceiling like a wash line. In addition, photographs, recipes, sports memorabilia cards, and other items are often collected in albums, drawers, and boxes, never to be seen again. Although some special photographs and cards may be displayed in frames, that option is usually expensive and requires a lot of time and effort whenever the photograph being displayed is changed. Accordingly, there is a need for an attractive device for displaying simultaneously a variable number of greeting cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like that can be easily rearranged and changed to suit the particular occasion or setting.
Various display devices are known for commercial and office use. However, none of these provides an apparatus which is both attractive and useful for displaying cards, photographs and sports memorabilia items. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,859 discloses an imprinter plate rack. The plate rack has two sets of parallel frame supports defining frame holding slots between them. These supports are positioned with each support progressively higher from the front to rear of the rack. The supports include a plurality of vertical substantially parallel slots for supporting each frame and a rectangular parallel strip between the sets of slots for labeling. This rack, however, would not be practical for retaining greeting cards and photographs since the parallel slots do not fully extend across the middle of the rack. The raised strip prevents cards of various size being disposed across the middle of the rack and would pose a problem when attempting to arrange greeting cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like in any fashion other than straight rows up and down the side of the rack.
A commercial display device and shipping package is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,466. The grid-like package is made from cardboard and includes a plurality of rectangular pocket-like compartments, each capable of holding a plurality of items, such as flower seed packages or other similarly packaged items. The package is useful for shipping and storing the items, and may be assembled for display. However, one disadvantage of this apparatus is that the packets being displayed must be the same size as, or smaller than, the particular pockets. In addition, the pockets hold the packages or items being displayed so that only the first item in each pocket is visible. This type of display may be useful in a commercial setting where a number of the same items, such as seeds, are being sold so that only the front package need be seen by the prospective purchaser. However, it would not allow for the attractive, simultaneous display of a variety of greeting cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like, each of which might have a different size, shape, or ornamentation.
An index card holder having a plurality of parallel slots is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,360,548. The index card holder has a top and two side walls with a plurality of slots extending through the top wall and ending at progressively higher depths in the side walls to hold the cards in an inclined and stepped relation. All index cards must be wider than the width of the top wall, or they will fall through. In addition, the slots retain index cards at almost their entire height within the walls of the cardholder. Subsequent cards cannot be seen behind the first card except for the small portion which may extend from behind. Accordingly, the index card holder is not practical for attractively displaying greeting cards, sports memorabilia cards, photographs, and other such items.
Lastly, Applicant discloses a Solitaire Lap Board described as Model No. F7409 at Page 81 of the Christmas, 1992 catalog of Walter Drake Co., Colorado Springs, Colo. The Solitaire Lap Board has a plurality of parallel slots which terminate prior to the edge of the board. In addition, the Solitaire Lap Board has four compartment trays which are suitable for holding playing cards in horizontal stacks. The board is specifically adapted for playing the game of solitaire and comes with solitaire game instructions. The construction of the Solitaire Lap Board does not permit photographs or greeting cards that are to be inserted into the board and slid in from the side. Nor does this construction allow greeting cards, photographs and other cards to be supported with portions of these items extending beyond the edge of the board. Additionally, the Solitaire Lap Board does not include any means of supporting its top surface at an inclined position.
Accordingly, it the purpose of the present invention to provide a display device for attractively displaying a variety of greeting cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like all of which can be easily rearranged and changed by the user to suit the occasion. Although many display devices are known for commercial and office use, none provides a device that has been specifically designed for displaying cards, photographs, sports memorabilia cards, and the like, and allowing simultaneous viewing of those items.